Re: Welsh Highland Railway
| July 19, 2019 08:12AM |
Today we road the Welsh Highland Railway from Porthmadog to Caernarfon. Tomorrow we'll do the reverse. Sunday we'll ride the Festinog round trip.
Motive power today was NG-16 143. It's huge for a two foot gauge locomotive but compared to a Rio Grande K-Class of any kind it's tiny. The WHR has done a beautiful restoration and it's is an impressive piece of motive power.
Waiting on the Festinog line out of Porthmadog was a Double Farlie.
Make no mistake, the WHR is a mountain narrow gauge line. Today has been a steady rain and near the top of the summit the train had to stop on a grade due to a tree falling across the track at the entrance to one of the tunnels on the line. We had about an hour delay while MOW crews dealt with the tree. To the credit of the WHR, passengers were offered free beverages for the inconvenience.
In talking with crew, they are very friendly, knowledgeable, and proud of their railroad. Two of the crew I spoke with during the delay are multi-generational employees. One's grandfather worked on the original WHR which ceased operations in the 1930s and after WW II was a driver for the Flying Scottsman. His father works for the Festinog in management but started out in train service. The other employee has a similar history.
The scenery is stunning, different, but rivaling that of the D&S. The climb out of Porthmadog is steep and you could hear the NG-16 working hard on the wet rail. More photos later.
Motive power today was NG-16 143. It's huge for a two foot gauge locomotive but compared to a Rio Grande K-Class of any kind it's tiny. The WHR has done a beautiful restoration and it's is an impressive piece of motive power.
Waiting on the Festinog line out of Porthmadog was a Double Farlie.
Make no mistake, the WHR is a mountain narrow gauge line. Today has been a steady rain and near the top of the summit the train had to stop on a grade due to a tree falling across the track at the entrance to one of the tunnels on the line. We had about an hour delay while MOW crews dealt with the tree. To the credit of the WHR, passengers were offered free beverages for the inconvenience.
In talking with crew, they are very friendly, knowledgeable, and proud of their railroad. Two of the crew I spoke with during the delay are multi-generational employees. One's grandfather worked on the original WHR which ceased operations in the 1930s and after WW II was a driver for the Flying Scottsman. His father works for the Festinog in management but started out in train service. The other employee has a similar history.
The scenery is stunning, different, but rivaling that of the D&S. The climb out of Porthmadog is steep and you could hear the NG-16 working hard on the wet rail. More photos later.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.